Athletes who train for competitive racing strive to improve their individual endurance and performance throughout their exercise program. Runners, bikers, skiers, rowers etc. may elect to improve their time over a given course or they may elect to lengthen the distance at which they can perform at a fixed time. Goals can be arrived at by history data of an individual or by history data of other individuals who have also performed over a given track.
Prior art cycle devices have utilized a cyclocomputer type device mounted on a bicycle to calculates and display trip information, similar to the instruments in the dashboard of a car. A basic cyclocomputer may display the current speed, maximum speed, trip distance, trip time, total distance traveled, and the current time. More advanced models also may display altitude, incline, and temperature as well as offer additional functions such as average speed, pedaling cadence and a stopwatch. They do not provide any user feedback with respect to checkpoint goals along a track.
Power meters exist to measure power output in watts, typically by using a torque sensor in the bottom bracket or rear hub. User power curves can be calculated depending on terrain for predictions of pace along a track. Power meters can be used to calculate the amount of work a user does along a course but are not used in prior art.
Other devices such as heart rate monitors can also be utilized during a race.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,827 B1 issued to Wai C. Lee et al. presents a personal training device using GPS data to assist a user in reaching performance goals. The device allows goal and performance information to be loaded and assists a user with audible cues in beep form during a track.
What is needed is a system and methodology that will allow users to compete over a given track against a preset plurality of checkpoint goals. Preferably the system can give the user audible speech feedback, using upcoming terrain and power predictions to normalize user pace and to determine user time behind or ahead of a pace goal for each checkpoint. (or energy behind or ahead of an energy goal). Preferably the system can have a hands free operation, and provide software running on an existing standard operating system and running on an existing hardware platform.